On May 12, 2014, William A. Sibley went home to be with his Heavenly Father. Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Bill attended primary and secondary schools in California and Oklahoma, graduating from Central High School in Oklahoma City. He studied physics at the University of Oklahoma and received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees there. He then did postdoctoral work in Aachen, Germany. A retired major in the U.S. Army Reserves, he was a combat veteran of the Korean War.
Bill married the love of his life, Joyce Gregory, in 1957. Together they had three wonderful children—Tim (Frisco, TX); Lauren (Charlotte, NC); and Steve (Austin, TX).
Bill had a passion for God, his family, education and research. He began his career in physics as a researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. In 1970, he moved to Stillwater, OK, to become head of the Physics Department at Oklahoma State University where he eventually became Assistant Vice President for Research. In 1979, he was named Outstanding Teacher at OSU. In 1988, Dr. Sibley became program director for Competitive Research for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, D.C.
In 1990, Bill returned to education to serve as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Physics at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. While at UAB, Bill served as Assistant to the Provost and was named a recipient of the UAB President’s Medal for outstanding dedication and service. From UAB, Dr. Sibley returned to NSF as program director for the Centers for Research and Excellence in Science and Technology. He taught and lectured at universities and science centers throughout the world.
Following his service with the NSF, the Sibleys “retired” to Oklahoma where Bill became president of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), an organization he helped develop several years earlier. Following his retirement from OCAST he continued his research as a visiting professor at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Throughout his life, Bill taught Sunday School and led Bible studies for college students and/or single adults. He was invited to participate in a Billy Graham crusade in Germany because of his commitment to the Lord and his fluent German. He was constantly talking to young people everywhere he went, either about his Lord Jesus Christ or education and their future.
Bill is survived by his wife, Joyce Gregory Sibley; three children and their spouses: Tim (Sherril), Lauren (Mike Peterson), and Steve (Laurie); six grandchildren: Tyler and Travis Sibley, Kelsey and Scott Peterson, and Mikaela and Ethan Sibley; and sister, Sada Sue Vandiver, of Conway, Arkansas.
Bill was not only an incredible man of distinction, but he touched many lives from all walks of life and throughout the world. There are many people who will never forget the special man that they knew. Many have said he was their “hero”.
A memorial service will be 4:00 p.m., Friday, May 16, 2014, at Baggerley Funeral Home Chapel; 930 S. Broadway, Edmond.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the William A. Sibley Endowed Graduate Fellowship for Science and Math at OSU, payable to the OSU Foundation, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK 74047, or www.OSUgiving.com.
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